IF Santa Claus is still taking requests for Christmas then Brett Anderson might be tempted to ask for a starting spot in the Melbourne Storm line-up for the club%u2019s opening match of the 2009 season.

A spot in the Storm backline has finally opened up following the departure of Origin and Kangaroos sensation Israel Folau to the Broncos.

Anderson wants it and has the pre-season to prove to Storm coach Craig Bellamy he deserves it.

Considering what Anderson has endured to reach this stage of his career, another four months of waiting to see if will be been anointed Folau’s successor will not bother him.

After undergoing two knee reconstructions by the time he was 19, Anderson was all but sure his NRL career was over following unsuccessful stints with Parramatta and North Queensland.

But after scoring six tries in the Northern Pride’s opening five games of the 2008 Queensland Cup, Anderson attracted the attention of Bellamy, who offered the then 21-year-old a three-year deal with the 2007 premiers.

Eight months later and with five first-grade appearances for the Storm to his name, Anderson said he wanted to show Bellamy he deserved a permanent spot in the run-on team.

"I’d like to think I’ve been doing my best to impress him (Bellamy) since I’ve got here but there’s a slot in the backline now and I want to become a regular first grader," he said.

"I know this pre-season will help me out a lot.

"Because I was out for so long with injury, the longer you don’t get injured you start to feel fitter stronger and a bit sharper as well.

"I’m feeling good with where I’m at but I know I’ve got some improvement in me."

Anderson said the fact he had settled into living in Melbourne so well had helped his football.

"I suppose you do feel more comfortable the longer you stay in one place but I’ve felt comfortable from the first day I got to Melbourne and the Storm," he said.

"Everyone was and has been very welcoming and it’s a great organisation to be a part of."

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